Love Truly is Blind
by InkStainedKeyboard
Summary: Arthur has been partially blind for as long as he can remember. When he and his parents move to America, he doesn't anticipate getting a friend, let alone falling in love...
1. Chapter 1

Arthur felt anxiety settle in as he began to understand his situation. He'd spent his entire school life...well, at home. His parents had hired a private tutor, Mr. Honda and Arthur had never set foot in a regular school before this morning. Although he was intelligent for his age, Arthur was not very experienced...in anything. And now, just as his medical conditions began to worsen, his parents had moved to America and decided to enrol Arthur in a normal, public high school.

So that's why Arthur was standing at one end of a crowded, cramped corridor, people hastily pushing their way past him, shouting to their friends, their voices echoing in Arthurs' ears, confusing him and, although he didn't show it, scaring him slightly. Everything was out of focus, a series of dimly coloured blurred dots. Although Arthur was used to it by now, it still pissed him off. He'd been told to wait here be the angry receptionist, who said that someone would come to show Arthur to his lessons. Arthur shifted impatiently. He hated being dependant on others. He hated the pitying tone of voice adults used around him. He hated how he had no clue what to do. He _also_ hated people who were late. Someone roughly pushed past him, shoving him into the wall.

"_Bloody wanker_!"Arthur hissed under his breath.

"Hey, dude!" A loud, obnoxious voice rang out. Arthur spun round to face the source of the sound: namely, a large, very noisy floating blob. Arthur wondered if this was the person that was meant to show him around. His next sentence cleared that up.

"Dude, I'm, like, meant to show you around!"

Arthur glared at him, still irritated about how late he was. He'd decided that he did not like this guy.

"What's your name?" Arthur asked, somewhat coldly.

"What? Its right here on my name tag...here; next to my hero badge...I spent ages making it...see?"

Arthur gaped in the general direction of the voice, unsure if he was being mocked or not.

"No." He replied bluntly. The other person paused as though thinking, before jokingly saying:

"Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Arthur felt his cheeks heat up with anger and humiliation. He'd normally walk away from this type of ignorant person, but, right now, he was just furious. He wanted to teach this lump a lesson. Determined to show that being partially blind did not make him useless, or give this American twerp a right to scorn him, Arthur fumbled at the air in front of him until he found the persons' upraised hand. Arthur groped awkwardly for a bit before feeling three thin, stick-like things jutting up.

"Three." Arthur forced himself to keep his voice flat and emotionless: he didn't want this _idiot_ to know that he'd gotten to him. Arthur turned away from the blob and hesitantly began to navigate his way through the indistinct crowd. There were less people than before and Arthur, despite the fact that he had never played any form of sports before in his life due to his medical situations, had relatively good spatial awareness. Arthur felt slightly proud of himself, but then he heard the infuriating voice call out from behind him

"You're going the wrong way you know...Math is this way..."

Arthur sighed. _Maybe I should stick around, _he thought, _it won't set a good impression if I turn up late to every lesson..._Arthur turned and paused next to the boy, waiting.

"I'm Alfie, by the way!"

"...Arthur."

"Cool! It's nice to meet you!" Alfie said brightly before leading Arthur down the hall.

XXX

Alfies' POV

Seriously, this guy was really grumpy. I mean, sure, I was a little late, but this dude was scowling so bad that you'd think I had murdered his grandmother with a tea cosy. He kept staring right past me like I didn't exist, and I swear that he had been making fun of me when I had asked, as a joke, how many fingers I was holding up. He was really grouchy. And his British accent made everything he said sound really...depressing. Oh well. A hero has to give everyone a chance, right!? But he did seem a bit...vacant, as though he wasn't really here. It creeped me out. Weirdo.

I amble down the corridor, occasionally stopping to talk to my friends. I winked at a group of girls and they all giggled and blushed. That was hardly unusual. Arthur shuffled behind, but to be honest, I didn't pay much attention to him: if I was going to have to spend all day with him, I wanted to talk to my friends at least once. Arthur didn't say anything to anyone, just followed behind me, glaring. Well, I wasn't going to force him to be social or anything. If he was going to be stupid like that, fine. Not my problem.

The school bell rang, piercing as ever. I turned to Arthur and beamed at him: maybe if I was _really _nice to him, he would stop glowering at everything...No. No reaction whatsoever. Maybe he was naturally grumpy all the time? I felt the grin slide off my face, but I forced myself to pretend to be cheerful.

"Come on! First lesson is math!"

The crowds of people began to began to disperse as everyone headed to lessons. Arthur and I walked down to the stairs that lead to the math room. I kept rambling on about random stuff, deciding that Arthur must just be shy.

"Teach's cool as long as you try your best in class, but he hates it if all you do is talk...so he _really _hates me. But he's rather decent, you know, as professors go. But you can't really make math fun, can you? So we tend to just..."I kept talking as I walked up the stairs. I heard a massive thump behind me. I turned to see Arthur sprawled on the floor, pulling himself up. It seemed as though he had, somehow, fallen over. His cheeks were flaming and his jaw was set. He looked angry. _Really _angry. He quickly scrambled up from the floor.

"Stairs?" he asked in a low voice. He sounded really embarrassed, which I could understand. I ran back down the stairs to help him up.

"Hey, Brit dude!? Are you okay?" I asked. I was really confused: did this guy have a mental disorder or something? Why else would you just randomly fall over? Arthur looked at me (or rather, at the spot just above my left shoulder) and murmured:

"Are there stairs there?"

"Um, _yeah_!? What the hell does that even mean, 'are there stairs there'? They're right here!"

Arthur muttered something under his breath. I didn't hear it, but I could tell that they weren't the nicest things to say. Arthur brushed past me and hesitantly began to go up the stairs, keeping a tight grip on the banister as he did so. The few people who had still been around to see the spectacle drifted off in clusters, most of them laughing about what they'd just seen. Although there weren't that many people, soon the entire school would know about the new British kid with no co-ordination. Gossip spreads like wildfire in this school. Arthur, who was already half a flight of stairs ahead, called down:

"And if you _ever_ call me 'Brit dude' again, I'll bloody kill you."

Now I was _really_ confused. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something. But I dismissed it. I plastered a big grin on my face and, deciding not to mention what had just happened.

"Okay! I think I'll call you Artie then! Arthur just doesn't sound right, you know? My 'real' name is actually Alfred, but everyone calls me Alfie..."

XXX


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Another chapter? Already? I'm normally such a slacker... XD. This is another loooooooooooooong chapter...sorry! Thank you for all the follows, favs and reviews I got, it really made me happy! I really wasn't expecting so many... I will try to update regularly, but, for now, enjoy the next chapter!**

Arthurs' POV

God. I felt like a bloody idiot. Seriously, what kind of moron falls over on their first day? I knew this would happen! I made a fool of myself, and chances are that everyone would know about it soon. And that irritatingly loud American kid, Alfred whatever-his name-is, just kept on talking as though nothing had happened. Did he think I was deaf as well as blind? Did he think that I hadn't heard the cruel laughter and the jeering? Bloody American idiots. I absent-mindedly rubbed my arm. I had landed rather oddly and most of my left side ached. I sighed. Alfred's chatter echoed in my ears. Alfred...Why hadn't he told me about the stairs? That was what was really bothering me. I don't know if he had just...forgot, or if he had done it on purpose, to make me look like a pathetic child who couldn't look after himself. But he _had_ sounded genuinely worried. And it wasn't like he had laughed or anything... God, I don't know. Just concentrate on walking up the stairs, I thought to myself. Who cares what they think about me? Bloody American idiots. I didn't bother to process what it was that Alfred was talking about. Just go to maths, I sternly instructed myself. Survive the first day. You'll work it out later.

XXX

Alfie and Arthur walked into the maths room, where the greying maths teacher ambushed Arthur. Alfie sat down at his usual desk near the back of the class, vaguely returning some of his friends' greetings. The teacher had a hushed conversation with Arthur at the front of the class before handing him a thick textbook, thicker than anyone else's, and guiding him to the empty seat next to Alfie.

"Jones, it's your job to look after Arthur: answer any questions he might have. He might need some...assistance, so I'm counting on you."The teacher walked away and Arthur immediately said:

"I don't need any help from you so don't even think about it. I am not an invalid."

"Okay Artie. Besides, this _is _math, and I hate it. So I'm worse than useless in a math lesson." Alfie replied brightly. The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched slightly, as though concealing a smile. _Good_, Alfie thought to himself, _he's not made of stone._

"Right, class! We're going to start where we left off before vacation, so turn to page 47 of your books; it's just a few equations, nothing too hard. "

The noise of turning paper and sighs filled the room. Arthur flipped through his textbook, finding the right page. His nimble fingers occasionally lingered on the corners of the pages, but Alfie was too confused to work it out. Equations gave him a headache. Alfie stared out of the window, pen loosely in hand. He absentmindedly wrote the date in the corner of his exercise book before falling into a deep stupor... the scratching of pens was really relaxing...

Before Alfie knew it, half the lesson was over and he had only written the date. He glanced over at Arthur and was surprised to see that he had written almost two pages. His writing was very neat: each number looked as though it had been carefully formed. But it slanted upwards. Quite a bit. Alfie shook his head, trying to concentrate. He forced himself to look down at the textbook and read the first question.

_If _a _is an even, positive integer, solve the equations below:_

Below followed a long list of numbers, letters and symbols. Alfie stared, completely stumped. He groaned.

"What is it?" Arthur asked quietly. His voice blended in with the soft chatter of the rest of class.

"Oh...it's nothing, I'm just stuck on this question..."Alfie made a conscious effort to keep his voice down: he had been informed by a large number of people that he was very loud, and Alfie didn't want to draw _too_ much attention to the fact that he was so far behind. He hardly wanted detention on the first day.

"Which question are you on? I might be able to help, if you would like?" Arthur offered. Alfie was startled: he wouldn't have expected this scowling Brit to help him.

"Oh...thanks dude!"

"Which question?" Arthur repeated.

"Um...well, I'm kind of still on the first one..."Alfie felt his cheeks heat up slightly. That was odd: he didn't get embarrassed easily. But Alfie felt like a bit of an idiot now that he realised that Arthur was on question 36. "But, hey! No Hero like me will _ever _need equations, so there's really no point in me doing this..." Alfie said defensively.

Arthur raised one of his bushy eyebrows. "So you don't want any help?"

"Hey, I never said that!"

Arthur laughed softly. "Ok. It's rather easy, all you have to do to solve it is..."

XXX

"So..._a_ would be...12?" Alfie asked. Arthur had explained the method much better than any teacher Alfie had ever had.

"Yes." Arthur confirmed "Do you understand now?"

"I think so! Thanks, you're the best teacher ever dude!" Alfie beamed at Arthur, but it wasn't forced this time.

"Try to do the next question by yourself, okay?"

XXX

For the first time ever in his life, Alfie felt as though he actually understood maths. Alfie smiled as he completed the first seven-or-so questions before asking:  
"Hey, Artie? Do you think that you could check some of my answers?"

Arthur had just finished the question that he was on, which included several symbols that Alfie had never seen before dotted around.

"Sure..."

Alfie passed Arthur his book. Arthur automatically began to run his fingers over the surface of the paper, as it was so natural to him now.

"Dude...what the hell are you doing?" Alfie asked, more disorientated than ever.

"I...I can't read this! How do you expect me to read this?" Arthur whispered. His voice was shaking with anger and his dark green eyes were narrowed.

"Hey! What did I do to you? Do you just hate me or something?" Alfie hissed back, equally angry.

"Do you have any idea, any notion whatsoever how difficult this is for me?"

"Seriously, dude, what the hell is your problem?!"

Arthur paled.

"Yeah. Well, that's it, isn't it? I am a problem." He answered harshly. Arthur turned from Alfie, making it clear that he wasn't going to talk anymore. Alfie retrieved his exercise book from the teble where Arthur had dropped it and, silently, tried to continue with his equations. But he was too upset to focus, so he settled for fuming mutely until the bell rang. Just as Alfie had packed up his things and was going to leave, the teacher said:

"Arthur, wait outside for a minute. I have to talk to Jones."

Arthur walked out of the room slowly. The teacher shut the door behind him and turned to face Alfie.

"I am _so _disappointed in you Jones. I expected this from a few people, yes, but not you! I thought that you were better than that!" he said in a quietly furious voice.

"What? Sir, I have no clue what you're on about! Expected what?" Alfie protested. The teacher gave him a barely-disguised look of disgust before saying:

"Do you have any idea how hard it must be, being blind?"

"What? Blind? What does that have to do with anything?" Alfie asked, thrown by the sudden change in topic.

"Don't play stupid Jones! Your behaviour towards Arthur this lesson was despicable!"

"Wait, what? Why w-"Alfie broke off. He began to piece things together, all be it slowly. The way Arthur's eyes never seemed to focus on an object. The way that he had fallen, like he hadn't seen the stairs. The way he had tried to..._feel _the words on Alfies' books, instead of reading them. And even how he had declared that he didn't need any help, like ha didn't want anyone to know...that...something in Alfies' head clicked.

"Artie's...blind?" Alfie gasped, head reeling. "But...oh...God, I never even thought of that! I didn't realise...I thought...I-I've got to go find him!"

Alfie, panicking slightly, ran out of the class.

XXX

Alfies' POV

God! I felt awful. I had never felt so bad. How could I not have realised? Damn, why did I have to be so _stupid_? And now Artie probably thought that I was some sort of bully or something and Artie must hate me and I was being a total idiot without realising it and he must think that I was doing it on purpose and he must think that I'm total ass and that-

I sprinted out of the class. I _had _to apologise and explain it. Artie was standing outside, staring blankly at the wall. Now that I knew that he was blind, it was _so_ obvious. I flung my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Artie squawked and scrabbled away. I jumped back, realising that it must be scary for him to be hugged without warning. Great.

"Dude! Dude, I feel terrible! I didn't realise that you were blind!"

Artie looked...shocked. He had gone very still and very pale. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but couldn't think of what.

"I...I'm so sorry." I looked down, unsure what I should do.

Artie shook his head.

"Oh...um...you really didn't know?"

"No idea."

"Oh...well...I guess I just assumed that a teacher would've informed you."

"No..."

Artie smiled.

"Good" he said before turning and beginning to walk away.

"W-Wait! Are you just gonna forgive me? Just like that? I was acting like a real jerk, and you're not even angry?" I called out to Artie. He stopped and turned slightly.

"Well...if you didn't know...Well, you acted how you would with anyone else, didn't you? I can hardly get mad at you for that, can I?"

"Oh...Ok!"  
Artie mumbled something under his breath that I didn't hear.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Oh...I...I just said that I'm only partially blind!" Artie looked down.  
"Oh...so...what's the difference?"  
Artie smiled slightly. "I...I have no sense of depth and everything is...very faded and out of focus. That's all..."  
"Oh...sorry..." _Partially _blind? If anything, that must be worse than being completely blind: always having a glimpse of what you were missing, but never being able to reach it.  
"It's not your fault, don't apologise." Artie shook his head, a sad smile etched on his face. I was silent for a moment, unsure what to say. I cleared my throat self-consciously and decided to not make a fuss over it. That was probably best.

"Oh...So we're good?" I hesitantly proposed.

"...I guess so."

"Cool!" I almost laughed out loud: so Artie didn't hate my guts. I caught up with him, but then paused. If he was blind, or partially blind, then I was going to have to help him out, right? So...what sort of things are you meant to tell a blind person? How bad was it? I frowned. Maybe...things that might make him fall, or trip? At that thought, I remembered what had happened earlier.

"Um...the stairs start in a bit, so..."

Artie half-smiled at that. "Thank you. Oh, and Alfred..." Artie ducked his head, trying to conceal the redness spreading across his cheeks.

"Yeah?"

"Could you...um, could you please not tell anyone else? It's just...well...yeah. Please."

I blinked. Why was Artie embarrassed by that request? If it were me, I'd hate having everyone know. I was about to open my mouth to say so when I stopped myself. Could those words hurt Artie's feelings? I didn't want to do _that_ again...I smiled: I don't think I'd ever been so conscientious of someone's feelings.

"Sure." I said.

XXX


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N felt like updating again so here's another chapter, enjoy!**

" Okay guys, we're gonna start with a simple drill, just a bit of throwing and catching, it's not rocket science. Then we'll play a quick game, hit the showers and talk tactics, okay?"

Alfie and the rest of the football team spread out over the field and began chucking the ball at each other. Arthur sat on a bench behind them, reading a thick book. Arthur had briefly explained to Alfie that he read in Braille, and that most of his books were quite thick, as he spent most of his time reading.

Coach jogged off to see how the rest of the class were doing. Alfie caught the ball and quickly passed it to a guy on his left, getting a good spin on the ball. The ball was then thrown to Brad, one of Alfies' best friends. Brad caught the ball and, laughing, called out:

"Hey, guys, anyone know what's up with dipshit?!"

Brad set the ball sailing over their heads. Alfie watched, aghast, as the ball rose and fell. It hit Arthur, who was still reading, on the head. Hard. Arthur yelped and dropped his book as the spot where the ball had struck him turned a violent shade of red. The jocks began to laugh and jeer at him, calling out taunts and mocking him. Arthur jumped up, hand on his forehead and called out, loud enough to be heard but not so loud that Coach did,

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

This only made Brad and the others laugh even more. One of them called out:

"What's wrong with us? What's wrong with _you, _you British dickhead?"

Arthur's face flared up and he screwed his hands into fists. He opened his mouth to make a scathing retort when the Coach ran over and roared:

"What it going on here?"

Silence fell. A few of the jocks sniggered under their breath, but no-one answered the question. Finally, Arthur spoke up in a flat, monotonous voice.

"It was an accident. The ball hit me on the head. They were just asking if I was ok. That's all."

A couple of the jocks nodded as though backing up Arthur's story. Arthur stayed very still, stony-faced, as Coach sighed:

"Ok then...be more careful next time. Goodie, take Kirkland to the med room for an ice pack. The rest of you, back to the locker rooms."

One of the footballers led Arthur away, ignoring him completely. The rest of the groups trouped back to the locker room, laughing amongst themselves. Alfie stood, frozen in anger, alone on the field.

By the time Alfie reached the locker room, most of the others were half-changed, still laughing at Arthur. And Alfie was _livid._ He strangely felt very protective of Arthur and wanted to...well, he wanted to hurt whoever hurt Arthur. It was as simple as that. Alfies' vision was clouded red and his hands was shaking. His face burned with rage and his chest was uncomfortably tight. He strode over to Brad, who turned around. Brad was about to say something but, before Alfie fully registered what he was doing, he grabbed the front of Brads' shirt with two hands and shoved him into the metal locker behind them. A loud crashing noise filled the room and Brads' legs would've given out from the force of the collision if Alfie hadn't been pulling him up. Silence fell over the room, but Alfie could still hear a distant roaring echoing in his ears.

"What the FUCK was that for?!" Alfie bellowed. His face was so close to Brads' that he could see his pupils contract with fear.

"Well? ANSWER ME!"

Brad paled and mumbled something indistinguishable. Alfie pulled him away from the locker and dropped him, where he crumpled in a ball.

"You're pathetic."Alfie spat. "Only a pathetic wimp like you would pick on a blind kid."

Alfie froze. Shit. He had told them. He had gone and told them exactly what he had sworn _not _to tell anyone. He had betrayed Arthurs' trust. And now...now the entire school would know by the end of the day. Arthur had lost all hope of ever being accepted. And it was all his fault.

Some hero.

XXX


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: And so it continues...this chapter is rather short for me, curse writers block! :0... but I hope that you enjoy it! So I will stop rambling and let you read now~!**

Arthur's POV

"Hey, look, it's that blind kid..."

"...it's the freak"

"...apparently he's a total retard..."

"...complete weirdo..."

"...should go back to Britain..."

The whispered words flew around the corridor. Keeping my head held high and my back straight, I tried to pretend that I didn't care. But, in truth, every word felt like a dagger.

I should have expected this. I should have known that I couldn't keep it a secret. But I had hoped. I had wanted, even if it was just for a while, to feel...normal. Accepted. Just once.

Well, that plan was screwed now, wasn't it?

I felt bad. I knew that I shouldn't have been that harsh on Alfred. I should have at least heard him out. He had sounded so regretful. But when I found out about the comments in my book...well, I didn't really care about _that_. They were just bloody wankers. But Alfred...I had trusted him. And he... well, he didn't uphold that trust.

I had learnt my lesson long ago that trusting others didn't work. You hope and you believe that they won't hurt you and then it all goes to hell. It's easier to isolate yourself, like I do, because if you have no-one to depend on, no-one can disappoint you.

But I had let him in. I forgot. In the space of a single day, I had grown to become fond of Alfred. I had forgotten what it was like. Not being alone. I was never exactly lonely, but it was nice to meet someone who made me smile. Who treated me like he would any other. I don't know if it was whether Alfred was doing it on purpose or if it was him being naive, but...it was nice. He made me forget.

Bloody idiot. He had to ruin it, didn't he? Bloody idiot.

I stumbled slightly over one of my shoelaces and a group of people (it sounded like one of those irritating cliques of girls) sniggered loudly at me. Why did my face have to heat up now? Still, at least I knew where I was going: I had taken the time yesterday to memorise the school layout. Another thing about me being blind is that I had developed a freakishly effective memory. I still remembered most of what my textbooks said from when I had skimmed through them last night. When they were still readable.

I carefully made my way over to my next class, which was History: one of my better subjects, second only to English. Hopefully it wouldn't be something that I knew _too _much about. That would be boring as hell.

XXX

"Arthur, you will sit next to Alfie..."

_Damn, _Arthur thought, _is he in all my lessons?_

Sighing, Arthur dumped his bag under the table and sat next to Alfie. As he expected, as soon as the professor began to talk, Alfie began to plead his case again.

"Dude, please hear me ou-"

"Don't bother Alfred." Arthur's face was expressionless as he interrupted the American. Alfie though, didn't give up.

"But I-"

"Don't. Just don't. I don't care Alfred." Arthur told him, his voice flat and unfeeling. But, despite his many faults, Alfie had a strong sense of justice and was determined to right his wrong. And the first step was getting Arthur to forgive him. But the Briton wasn't giving him the chance.

"I only did it because I care about you!" Alfie burst out. A wave of shock broke through Arthur's mask-like face.

"Because...you..._care..._about me." He repeated incredulously. Lost for words, Arthur shook his head. Alfie took the opportunity to spill out the whole story.

" When you were hurt, I was _so _angry. Like, angrier than I've ever been. So angry that I...kind of beat up the guy who did it...and then I said that only a guy as sick as him would do that...to a blind person. I didn't realise until I had already said it but I couldn't really do anything then, could I? I mean, I knew that _they _knew that I wasn't messing with them or anything, see...so I went to find you, to explain, but... you already looked so sad, and I didn't want you to get pissed at me, and before I could do anything else, everyone knew and... I... I'm so sorry Artie!" he blurted out. Arthur stared blankly at the floor before slowly asking:  
"You beat someone up... because he hurt me?" Alfie went slightly red. He hoped Arthur wouldn't think that he was a bully.

"Yeah... he won't bruise as bad as you have, but yeah, it'll hurt for a bit."

"You know, you really shouldn't do things like that. Especially for people like me." Arthur tried to keep a straight face but couldn't help but smile a little at the news. Alfie beamed and, yet again, pulled the unsuspecting Arthur into a tight hug. Alfie realised his mistake as when Arthur clenched up in surprise, and Alfie quickly let go.

"I should probably warn you when I'm about to hug you, shouldn't I?" Alfie laughed at Arthur's stunned face.

"Yes. Please." He replied.

There was a moments silence before Arthur chuckled softly to himself.

"What, why are you laughing?"

Arthur sighed. "Partially. People always forget I'm only _partially _blind."

"Oh...sorry. Um...do you mind if I ask you a question about that? You won't find it insulting or anything, right?"

"No, not at all. Questions are fine, I guess..." Arthur frowned.

"If you're only partially blind, why don't you just get glasses or something?"

"Because there is nothing wrong with my eyes."

Alfie blinked, confused. "But if you're partially blind, then..."

Arthur sighed. "I don't really talk about it much, but...I suffer from Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. It's the underdevelopment of the optic nerve, resulting in impaired vision. I get less visual information transmitted from my eyes to my brain because of it. So I don't see very well. I can only really make out bright colours and large shapes. There is no cure." Arthur glowed crimson and shifted in his seat, uncomfortable after his explanation.

"Dude...I have no clue what the hell you just said." Alfie was in awe that Arthur could remember those long words, let alone understand them. Arthur paused, trying to think of a way to phrase it in a way that Alfie would be able to understand.

"My brain is messed up." He said finally.

XXX


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: ok, so the internet is being really weird, it keeps on dying, so I'll probably upload two chapters at once but not as often until it decides to be nice again...the chapters are also going to get long(er), bear with me! My friend, who asked me to write this fanfic, did actually specify a 'short, fluffy story'...err, so that's not happening...but enjoy the chapter! Oh, and also, thank you for all the reviews, it's so nice when I log onto my email and read them, it makes it really worthwhile! You guys are so amazing! (^ o ^)~**

Alfie's POV

Lunch break. Best time of the day. I headed over to my usual table with a group of my friends when I caught sight of Artie. He was sitting alone on a small table on the far side of the cafeteria. A group of girls to his right were laughing silently at him, whispering into each other's ears. I felt bad the guy. So I splintered away from my group and sat opposite him, ignoring the weird, and slightly scandalized look that I was getting from people.

"Hey Artie!"

Artie smiled. "Hello Alfred. Why aren't you sitting at the loud table over there? I assume that that is where the popular people sit."

"Yeah, it is, but I felt like sitting with my friend instead!"

Artie raised a bushy eyebrow. "Friend?" he sounded amused at the idea.

"Yeah, you seem like a cool guy, and I like you, so you're now my friend!" I said cheerfully. I was about to find my lunch in my bag when I saw that Artie wasn't eating.

"Hey, do you have no lunch? How can you not eat, dude? Eating's awesome! I can't not eat, it sucks!"

Artie frowned.

"Did some jerk steal your lunch money?" I asked quickly, remembering that some people did that.

"No, nobody stole anything. I have a thermos..."Artie lifted a flask that I hadn't seen. "That's all I need for lunch...Tea is lovely."

" Tea? You have tea for lunch? But...tea's gross!"

"No it isn't! Besides, what exactly do _you _have?" Artie sipped his tea primly whilst I dug around for my lunch.

"Um...Cold pizza! It's not as good as burgers, but it's still amazing!" I took a massive bite. Artie wrinkled his nose.

"Ah...this must be the American fast food franchise that I've heard so much about...it smells odd...I can't say that I am keen to try it..."

I swallowed my mouthful of pizza.

"What!? You've never eaten any fast food!?"

"No. I suppose you have."

"Dude! You have not lived! That's it! I am _so _taking you to a McDonalds tonight!" I beamed at my solution. Artie _had _to eat a burger. He just had to.

"Do I have any choice in the matter?"  
"None whatsoever!"

XXX

Arthur's POV

Alfred's burger bar smelt. Bad. Like grease and frying meat and other...things that I did not care to identify.

Alfred had practically dragged me here the moment school was over. Not that I was complaining: it was enjoyable to spend time with him, even if he was slightly...bizarre. A good bizarre though. He was completely different to anyone that I knew. Quite frankly, I felt as though I should hate him, but I really didn't.

"Hey, we'll have four Big Macs and five extra-large fries. Oh, and three shakes!" Alfred's loud voice rang out from my left. I heard the jingle of coins exchanging hands.

"Did you order _four _burgers?" How much did Alfred eat?  
"Yeah...I'm trying to cut it down, you see...I'm not doing to badly, am I!?"

Apparently he ate quite a bit then. Maybe I'll lecture him on obesity and heart disease later...

Alfred nudged me. It was quite peculiar but we had already developed a form of silent language to tell me where to go in a new place. It was far more effective and less embarrassing than the usual 'Go straight ahead and mind the things you can't see' approach. Alfred would nudge me in the right direction and I would walk just behind him. By making sure that our shoulders were touching, I could tell when to stop or turn. Nobody else had ever done that before. Although my initial impression of Alfred was that he was slightly dense, he turned out to be rather...understanding. It was quite confusing.

Alfred came to a stop. I felt the smooth plastic side of a chair and edged myself in. Alfred began to split the food.

"I presume that there is no cutlery here then." I sighed. I was highly sceptical that this was going to be as good as Alfred had (enthusiastically) promised.

"Nope. If you're gonna eat an American burger, you gotta eat it the American way. Pick it up and eat as fast as possible!" Alfred laughed loudly. He seemed to do everything loudly. I hesitantly felt in front of me for the burger. I might as well try it. I picked up the burger and nibbled at it.

"No! Artie, you're doing it wrong! You've got to take a huge bite! Just take a really big one, try it!" Alfred munched eagerly. It sounded like he was talking with his mouth full. Americans.

Still, it couldn't hurt, could it? Sighing, I picked up the burger and took a largish bite. The burger was...odd. The meat was crispy and squashy at the same time, and the bun was soft. There was a limp leaf of salad and the cheese...didn't taste, feel or smell like cheese. I chewed it as quickly as I could and swallowed.

"Oh...you've got a bit of ketchup...let me get it for you..."

Before I could react, Alfred's warm hand was on my cheek. I froze. He was...gentle. And tender. And so...careful. He was so close that I could smell his scent: coffee and mint and freshly mown grass. It really shouldn't work together, but it did. It was intoxicating.

The moment felt as though it lasted forever, but it wasn't long enough. Alfred's hand retreated, leaving me feeling...alone, already missing the comforting pressure of Alfred's hand. I exhaled, not sure why I had been holding my breath. I began to flush. It was completely irrational for me to react like I had. Ridiculous. Crazy. Foolish.

So why had I?

XXX

Alfie's POV

"Oh...you've got a bit of ketchup...let me get it for you..." I instinctively reached out to wipe away the smear of sauce on the corner of Artie's mouth. He went very still. I'd seen that he did that sometimes. I froze as well, my hand resting lightly against his cheek. I had never noticed just how pale and soft his skin was. Or the colour of his lips: a deep, dusky pinkish red colour, like when the last few rays of the sun has disappeared, leaving those trails across the sky.

His eyes were so green. They looked endless, shining in the light. The more I looked, the more I saw. The green faded into light and dark patched, swirling together. I had never seen eyes like those. I wanted to-

Suddenly coming to my senses, I pulled my hand away. Artie began to blush and I felt myself do the same. Artie blushed quite a lot: maybe it was because his skin was normally so pale? I was all a muddle. I didn't know what I was feeling anymore. You don't randomly go around stroking your friend's cheeks. It was weird.

So why had it felt so right?

XXX

Arthur stayed up all night, trying not to remember how he had felt after Alfie's warm touch. He wondered how Alfie had felt, and how he ought to act the next day.

XXX

Little did he know that Alfie, too, had stayed up all night, trying to work out why his heart would flutter every time he looked into Arthur's eyes.

XXX

**AN: and now we begin to get to the good stuff... XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was my first attempt at something vaguely cute. I don't think it turned out that cute. As per usual, plan was great in my head but the moment I try to write it down it turns into a soggy pile of badness. Yep... :D oh well...**


	6. Chapter 6

Alfie's POV

Our breath came out as little poofs of mist in the cold air. I smiled and clasped Artie's hand tighter. His hand was very cold: he had forgotten to bring a coat, and looked icy. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him to warm him up, but I had probably freaked him out enough for one night. Whenever I was around Artie, I always forgot what I should and shouldn't say. I always felt...safe, like I knew that he wouldn't judge me wrongly. But... no. I didn't want to do anything to drive him away. Just in case.

It had begun to rain. Artie sighed.

"You see? This is what I meant when I said that America can't even rain properly. I miss the British, pathetic, half-hearted drizzle..."

"Why didn't you take a coat, dude?"

"I'm British. I am immune to the cold." Artie stated, but a shiver betrayed him. A droplet of rain clung to one of his eyelashes, shining like a tear. I paused for a moment, considering, before pulling off my jacket.

"Here, take mine!"

"What?! No, I'm fine! There's no point in you getting cold!" Artie argued.

"Fine. We'll share it!" Before Artie could reply, I wrapped the jacket around us both. I put one arm in one sleeve and Artie, reluctantly, did the same. We were very close together, probably to close, but at least Artie would be warm.

"This is going to stretch your jacket Alfred..."

I smiled. I normally hated the name Alfred: far too formal. But I loved it when Artie said it. British accents were sexy.

_Ok Jones, you are never thinking that again._

"Don't worry 'bout it. This jacket is pretty much indestructible. "I replied.

Artie gave me a small half-smile. It was the same expression that he had had when he found out that I had glasses. It was kind of cute...I blinked and blushed. What was wrong with me? Why the hell was my heart always racing when Artie nudged me? God, I've got to stop thinking like this. It was completely unnecessary to feel the need to protect him, to be with him...

"_Shut up_!" I hissed to myself

"What?" Artie asked. Damn, he had good hearing.

"Nothing!" I said quickly. I turned my head so I wouldn't have to see Artie's bright green eyes, or how beautiful his lips looked in the moonlight.

_Shut up Alfie._

XXX

Arthur's POV

"Fine! We'll share it!"

Before I could react, Alfred swung his jacket around us both, like a proper gentleman. It was a lot nicer with Alfred's body heat to warm me up. The rain didn't feel quite so frozen with Alfred's hand in mine, and him so close to me. Every so often, my shoulder would bump into his. I was pretty sure I was going to end up standing on his foot or something, but Alfred didn't complain. I smiled softly. I don't know why I was so happy: I just was.

I noticed that this happened quite often recently. I had an inkling of what caused it, but... I didn't really _want _to know: it was too confusing.

Alfred and I walked down the street, our footsteps making splashing noises on the wet pavement. The wind and rain plastered my unruly hair to my face, and my lips felt chapped. Instinctively, I snuggled closer to Alfred. He gently pulled me in closer, and I felt myself blushing. That, too, had happened a lot recently. But Alfred's steady pace and comforting pressure on my hand gave me a deep sense of security. I trusted Alfred, and I hoped that he knew that. I had the impression that, despite not being the most informed on my condition, he knew how to help and what to do. He understood better than anyone else. Like earlier, he had been so...accepting. I had never felt comfortable enough to ask things like that, not even to my own brothers. I don't know what it was but...it just _was. _

We turned into my street and stopped outside my house (I had told Alfred my address previously).

"Well...I'll see you tomorrow Artie."

I carefully pulled myself from the jacket whilst saying:  
"Yes. Thank you for inviting me round. It was very pleasant."

"No problem! And thank _you _for the help! You're a lifesaver dude!"

"That's quite alright."

I stood awkwardly, not wanting to leave just yet. I shifted my weight and tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. I opened my mouth to say goodbye, but Alfred flung his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. I gasped slightly, surprised, before hugging him back. He really was very warm. He squeezed me tighter before letting go.

"Bye..." The American sounded quite dejected. I frowned, not used to Alfred not being his usual loud, cheery self.

"Goodbye..." I heard Alfred's footsteps leaving and slowly walked down the path to my house. I opened the door and slipped in. Closing the door behind me, I slumped to the floor and tried to calm my speeding heart.

XXX

**AN: THEY ARE SO GAY AND THEY DON'T KNOW! Why must I do this to myself? *goes and cries*.**

**me and my parents are going to Belgium for the Christmas holidays to see family, we are leaving on Friday and will be gone for eight-ish days. I will try to update at least once again before, but don't expect much for a while. Sorry!**

**But it's going to get more complicated for poor Alfie and Arthur very soon...sorry, I like putting characters through difficulties... XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning: swearing occurs once. You have been warned... XD**

Alfie's POV

I woke up with a start. My dream was already fading away fast and I desperately tried to cling to feeling of joy that I had gotten. It was something to do with Artie. But the details were all but gone. Sighing, I got up. There was no way I would be able to fall back to sleep. I groped for my glasses in the darkness and decided to get something to eat. That would normally make me feel better. The dream was really bothering me. There was... I can't remember. But it was me and Artie. And it had made me feel so...happy. I knew that much. Sighing, I rolled out of bed to find some food. A blinding pain shot through my foot as I stubbed my toe against a stack of comic books. Hobbling slightly, I made my way silently to the kitchen. Flicking the light on, I dug out some ice cream from the freezer and began to eat. The ice cream did something to ease the weird, jittery feeling in my chest, so I closed my eyes and, concentrating hard, I tried to remember the dream.

The ice cream went sour in my mouth. Why would I have a dream like that? It was so stupid. Why would I feel like...like _that, _even in a dream? I didn't, of course I didn't! So why would I dream it? I mean sure, I had felt a bit...odd earlier with Artie, but...but it wasn't _that. _Not _that _feeling. I grabbed the ice cream and began shoved spoonful after spoonful into my mouth. The coldness gave me a headache, making it hard to think. Good. I didn't want to think, especially about Artie and the way-

Shit. The ice cream wasn't working. It had never failed me before, so why now? Why, now, when I needed it most? Groaning, I pushed the ice cream away from me. Maybe I was coming down with a bug or something.

I only realised how long I had been there when the first rays of the sun broke through the window, and all of the ice cream had melted.

XXX

_Damn, this is awkward, _Alfie thought. He and Arthur were walking to school together, and all Alfie could think about was his dream. He was still trying to work out what it meant. Alfie tried to dismiss it as a weird dream but he knew that he was missing something.

"Alfred? Are you okay? You're being unusually...quiet." Arthur asked, concerned.

"What? No! No, I'm fine! There's nothing wrong!"

Arthur frowned, not convinced. "Okay...well, tell me when you feel like it, right?" Arthur sighed, worried. His friend seemed very jumpy and Arthur didn't like it. It wasn't like him.

XXX

Alfie waited in the empty classroom. It was after school and he and Arthur had arranged to meet there after school. They often did as they didn't spend much time together in school. But, for the first time, Arthur was late. Alfie watched, with a heavy heart, as the clock ticked on.

Five minutes late.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen.

Alfie sighed. He'd wait another five minutes before giving up. For what seemed like the thousandth time, he checked his cell phone for a message from Arthur. He knew that Arthur hated using his, but Alfie had expected Arthur to at least notify him. Alfie glanced up. 23 minutes late.

Alfie groaned. Arthur obviously wasn't coming. He picked up his bag and, just to be able to wait a bit longer, checked that he had all his books. And his books for tomorrow. And his pencil case. And...

Thirty minutes and Alfie was running out of things to check. He was about to leave when Arthur, panting slightly, stumbled in.

"Alfred? Are you still here?"

"Dude, you're over thirty minutes late! Where were you?"

"I know, I-I'm so sorry...I got side-tracked. I hope you can forgive me."

"Side-tracked?" Alfie suddenly noticed that Arthur was looking down at floor, his hair hiding his face. "Artie? What happened? You're never late, not if you can help it..."

Arthur didn't answer.

"Artie?"

"Drop it Alfred. It doesn't matter."

But Alfie knew it did matter. He strode over to Arthur. Up close, he could see that the Brit was shaking ever so slightly. Alfie kindly slipped his hand under Arthur's chin and gently pulled his head up.

"Oh, Artie..."

Arthur's left temple was a patchwork of bruises. His left eye was purple and swollen shut and his lip was cut.

Alfie stared. Arthur was very still and looked faintly ashamed. Finally, Alfie whispered:  
"Who was it Artie?"

Arthur gave a weak smile. "I don't know, I expect the same people as la-"He cut himself off abruptly, but it was too late.

"_Last time? _This has happened _before_? Artie, why didn't you tell me? I could have sorted those jerks out for you!" Alfie all but shouted.

"Alfred!" Arthur was shocked at Alfie's reaction. "Don't! I'm fine, honestly! There's no need for you to get involved, it'll only make things worse. I-I think it's one of those things that I have to deal with alone."

"Artie...Artie, you don't have to do everything alone." Alfie murmured softly. "I-I won't do anything if you don't want me to, I guess, but you have _got _to tell me when something like this happens! You're not alone anymore Artie: it is okay to rely on somebody else. I...I don't want you to think you're alone. Because you're not: you've got me, and I care about you, and I don't want to see you hurt again. Ever again. So next time something happens, you're telling me. Deal?"

Arthur smiled. "Deal."

Alfie pulled Arthur into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around Arthur. Arthur relaxed in Alfie's warm arms and returned the hug. Alfie smiled to himself at the now familiar scent of Arthur: he smelt like books and lavender and rose tea.

Arthur forgot about the throbbing pain of his newest bruises as Alfie's comforting arms closed around him. He was safe with Alfie.

**AN: I am such a bad person. I hate myself. Sorry. PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR BEING SUCH AN ARSE!**

**So, some of you are probably like, 'why the hell am I still reading this ****, this person is taking ages, I just want them to kiss already!'**

**I know. Me too. But, please, bear with me. There is a definite direction to this and all of this is necessary to make it work. I know where this is going for once, so please: be patient. It'll only make the end result better. And yes, this is angst. It is angst because of what is to come. Sorry again... **


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: BACK FORM BELGIUM! whoop whoop. In this chapter we meet the Kirkland brothers: Alistor (Scotland), Dylan (Wales) and Peter (Sealand). Awww, even spell check won't acknowledge Sealand...poor thing. I didn't include Ireland or Northern Ireland, but who knows? I might put them in at some point, depending on how things go... I had **_**way**_** to much fun writing the bit with them though, even if it is relatively short...also, I was recently advised to drop the whole ' so-and-so's POV', so there will not be any for this chapter, please give feedback if you have no clue what the hell is going on anymore! Enjoy the chapter, and a very merry (belated) Christmas! Toodles! **

"Thank you for walking back with me Alfred." Arthur flashed Alfie a brilliant smile.

"No problem! I'm actually rather curious to see where you live; it was too dark last time..."

Arthur made a face and shrugged. "It's really nothing all that special."

"Still, I want to see."

"Almost there..." Arthur turned down a small road, too thin to drive through.

"So...you said you lived with your brothers, right?"

"Yes...I have one younger brother, Peter, and two older brothers, Alistor and Dylan. I hate all three of them." Arthur said it so harshly that Alfie was shocked.

"You hate them? Why?"

Arthur sighed. "Our parents aren't around most of the time, so I was meant to be raised by them, but...well, they didn't care much for parenting. So I learnt how to manage by myself. They don't particularly care about me; they've made it clear that they think I'm pulling them down. So I don't care about them. And Peter...he's just a nightmare."

Alfie wondered what it had been like for Arthur. _It must have_ _been hard, having to cope by yourself, when you can't even see what was right in front of you _he thought.

Arthur turned down the path to a small, semi-detached house.

"Well...I'll see you tomorrow then Alfred." Arthur smiled gently, his eyes bright in the sunlight. Alfie noticed, again, how beautiful they were. They were a rich, deep green, fading out to an almost golden colour on the edges. Small currents of clear, light green wove through the dark, forest shade. Alfie was so glad that Arthur's condition hadn't damaged those amazing eyes. And the best thing was that Alfie could stare at them all he wanted. Arthur raised a bushy eyebrow, waiting for the American to respond. On impulse, Alfie leaned down and placed a hasty kiss on Arthur's cheek. Arthur burned red as he touched the spot where Alfie had kissed.

"W-what was that for?" Arthur stuttered.

"Um...I thought that that was how British people said goodbye!"  
Arthur laughed slightly. "Alfred, you idiot. It's the French who kiss each other goodbye. Anyway, you did it wrong."

Arthur went up on tiptoes and, reaching for Alfie's face, softly kissed him twice, once on each cheek.

"Goodnight Alfred." he murmured in Alfie's ear, opening the door to his house. Alfie grabbed onto Arthur's wrist, not wanting him to leave yet.

A loud, hyper-sounding voice echoed from inside.

"Arthur! Arthur, is that your boyfriend?"

Arthur went scarlet. "_SHUT UP PETER_!"

Alfie chuckled awkwardly. "Looks like you should go and sort that out..."

Arthur nodded. "God help me...Bye."

Arthur slipped through the doorway and shut it behind him. Alfie exhaled, Peter's words ringing in his ear.

Boyfriend?

He didn't quite know what to make of that.

XXX

"Dylan! Dylan, Arthur has a boyfriend!" Peter yelled into the lounge, where I assumed Dylan was.

"He is _not _my boyfriend!"

"What? Arthur, you have a boyfriend?" Dylan shouted.

"He's _not _my b-"

"Alistor! Arthur _is _gay, so you owe me a tenner!"

"Arthur's GAY?"

"Yeah, I saw him kiss his boyfriend!"

"He has a BOYFRIEND?"

"Alfred is not m-"  
"Alfred?"  
"Ooooh, Alfred!"

"Do you luuurve him?"  
"NO!"

"Yeah you do!"

"He is just my friend, I was only showing him how the French kiss g-"  
"French kissing?"

"Arthur, do you even know what French kissing _is_?"

"Do you do _it_ at his house?"

"PETER!" "PETER!"

"What?"

"...do you?"

"NO!"

"But you _do _do it?"  
"_NO!"_

"Well, when you do, use protection!"

"_He's not my boyfriend_!"  
"So why were you kissing?"

"We weren't!"  
"Yes you were, I saw you!"  
"Arthur, you can tell us the truth!"  
"Yeah, we don't mind if you're queer!"  
"Yeah, just come out of the closet already!"

"NO! I AM NOT GAY AND ALFRED IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND SO SHUT THE HELL UP!" I stormed out, trying very hard to ignore the question in my mind.

XXX

Boyfriend.

I couldn't get that word out of my head. It felt quite...nice, in a way. And that was confusing. I couldn't forget the feeling of Artie's soft lips against my cheek. It had felt so...natural. Far more natural than any kiss I'd shared with a girl. It hadn't been forced or uncomfortable. It had been...right.

Boyfriend.

I looked around my room for my cell. I really wanted to talk to someone, just to hear a familiar voice. I wanted someone to explain to me what was going on, or at least listen. But who? No-one from school, that was sure. And I didn't really feel comfortable talking to Mom about it...what I really needed was someone who wouldn't judge, who would be happy to help and who would listen without questioning...

But not Artie.

I scrolled through my contacts and sighed inwardly at my stupidity. I dialled the number quickly and he picked up on the third ring.

"Hey Mattie!"

"Alfie? How are you?"

"I'm okay..."

"Are you sure? You don't sound as...loud as usual..."

I smiled. Trust Mattie to know what I was feeling.

"Well, I guess I haven't been great..."  
"What is it?"  
Before I knew it, I told Mattie everything from the day Artie turned up at school to that feeling I got in my chest every time I was near him. Once I was done, I took a deep breath and waited for Mattie to respond.

"Alfie... I think you like him..."  
"Well of course I like him, he's my best friend!"  
There was a long pause.

"Maybe you like him as something...more than a friend?"

I stopped.

"What do you mean?"

Mattie sighed.

"Alfie...d-do you think you might be...in love with him?"

In love?

With Artie?

Me? And Artie?

Love?

Maybe...

Maybe I was.

I inhaled deeply and flopped onto my bed. Yes. I was in love with Arthur Kirkland. That was it. I smiled. Yes. Yes, I loved him. I was in love. With Artie. I felt like laughing aloud as the uncomfortable pressure in my chest relaxed. I was in love and I had never felt happier.

Because I was in love with the most amazing person in the world.

XXX

I slammed the door of my bedroom shut, cutting out the sound of my brother's laughter. I wasn't gay or in love.

Was I?

I sat on the floor with a thump. What I really needed now was a good cup of tea to calm me down, but that would mean going back downstairs. Sighing, I ran a hand through my messy hair. How was I supposed to know if I was I love or not? I had never been in love before, so how could I tell. And all of those novels with love and marriage were worse than useless in this situation. It was all so confusing. I wanted to talk to Alfred about it, but I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship. He was, after all, my best and _only _friend.

Why did everything have to be so damn difficult?

I couldn't be in love with a man that I had never seen. It was ridiculous. Ludicrous. Absurd.

And even if, hypothetically, I _did _love him...

...there was no chance in hell of him returning those feeling.

**AN: and now they finally realise. Thank you Sealand!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: a short, cruel chapter for you today. Sorry. Happy New Year! See you in 2013, which will be boring as hell compared to 2012 (seriously, no apocalyptic theories to amuse myself with! My life is ruined!)**

XXX

Alfie struggled to suppress his nerves as he walked to school. He had decided the previous night that he was telling Arthur. Today.

He just wasn't sure how.

He had racked his brains to find a romantic way to tell Arthur. He had thought of several scenarios. He had even tried to Google some ideas.

But nothing was right.

So Alfie eventually settled for improvising. He was hoping that, when he was looking at Arthur's face, the right words would come. He didn't really know what to expect. He hoped that Arthur would still want to be friends. Alfie didn't dare hope for anything more, but he had a right to know how Alfie felt. It was only right. Alfie didn't think he would be able to stand it if he didn't.

All he could do was hope for the best.

XXX

Alfie quickly went up to the classroom where he and Arthur would normally meet. Today was the day that they didn't have any lessons together, so Alfie hadn't been able to see him. He ran up the stairs, two at a time, and swerved into the classroom. Arthur was leaning on a table, reading a book. He closed it when he heard Alfie and smiled.

"Hello Alfred!"

"um...kinda..."

"What is it?"  
"er...I'm not really sure how to tell you..."  
Arthur sat down on the table and smiled comfortingly.

"Just tell me Alfred."

Alfred fidgeted as he tried to put his feelings into words.

"Ok...well...Artie, I...I don't want you to get hurt-no, I-I really like...when I-I'm not...I-"

"Alfred! Just tell me what's on your mind." Arthur cut off Alfie's stuttering. Blue eyes locked onto green. Alfie took a deep breath, his heart thumping erratically in his chest. His mind was strangely calm, separate from his body.

"I-I'm in love with you Artie. And...I'd like to go out with you 'cos you mean the world to me and I want to be with you forever. If you'd like."

Arthur froze, his eyes sad and regretful.

"Alfred...I...I can't. I'm truly sorry, but...I can't."

XXX

**AN: That's got to be the worst chapter ****ever ****yet...**


	10. Chapter 10

XXX

Alfred was in love with me?

Why?

Why was life being so cruel? Did the universe have a personal vendetta against me? Why was it that I hurt everyone around me?

How could I make Alfred see why I couldn't do this?

"It's not that I don't like you, I do, a lot, but...Alfred, you deserve better. I...I'm not good enough for you. I'll only drag you down."

I couldn't go out with Alfred. It wasn't fair in him. He shouldn't go out with an invalid. I felt my throat constrict painfully. It was like my heart was about to burst: the last thing I wanted to do was hurt Alfred. But if I went out with him, that would be the only possible result. God. How could I begin to explain this? How could I make Alfred see that _we_ just... couldn't be. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. Alfred had a perfect life, full of opportunities, full of chances. Chances of a r_eal _love, someone who could give him everything that he deserved, who would be able to make him feel...how he made me feel. Because I would never be able to give him that.

Suddenly, I felt Alfred's warm hand on my waist. His other hand cupped my cheek softly, guiding my face up. Alfred's warm lips pressed into mine, gentle and hesitant. Alfred was...kissing me. And it felt so...right. Natural. Perfect. It left me breathless, head reeling. He was supporting my head and I felt like my hand reach up, burying itself in Alfred's hair. Alfred kiss became more confident, but still tender and affectionate.

Too early, Alfred broke away. My heart was thumping unevenly in my chest and I had the sensation of floating. My breath came in short, irregular gasps: Alfred's kiss had left me giddy.

"I'm in love with you Artie. And I want to be with you."I heard Alfred whisper. "Please...it's not true that you'll drag me down. I-I don't want you to think that you're not good enough for me, 'cause...well, because you're perfect, just the way you are...and I'm in love with you, and nothing will ever change that..."

I felt for Alfred's hand and squeezed it.

"I-I don't know what this feeling is...but...it's the best feeling I've ever had. It hurts but..a _good _hurt, you know? And...yes...I think I am...in love with you." I murmured.

I forgot everything when Alfred kissed me again, deeper and stronger than before. All that mattered was that he was here and we were together.

That was all I needed to know.

XXX

Arthur was still smiling when he got home.

"Hey, where were you? You're really late!"  
"Alistor?"  
"What?"  
"...you really do owe Dylan that tenner, git."

Arthur laughed at the stunned silence that followed.

XXX

When he got to his home, Alfie called Matthew. Beaming, he talked for hours. When they had said goodbye, Matthew had the distinct impression that this 'Artie' must be very special to make Alfie feel that way.

XXX

**AN: Hope that answers any questions from the last chapter! Ok...so, upon writing this chapter, I realised something. I. Cannot. Write. Kiss. Scenes. I apologise to you all for the absolute world-class ****LAMENESS ****of this chapter. Bluargh... After re-writing this chapter seven times though, I pretty much gave up. XD**

*******。✧・゜゜・。***** ** **Review? Pwease?** *******。✧・゜゜・。***** **


	11. Chapter 11

Today was a day of firsts for Alfie. This was the first time he came to school early. It was also the first time he entered the school library. The only reason he was here was because he knew Arthur would be there.

Alfie beamed widely at the elderly, be-crusted librarian, who seemed severely disturbed by the new, uninvited presence in her territory.

"Hi!"

Grunting, the librarian shuffled off, giving Alfie a death glare. Chuckling, Alfie strolled through the quiet aisles of books before finding Arthur, who was engrossed in a book.

"Hey Artie!"

Arthur's face broke into a small, content smile.

"Hello Alfred!"

Alfie leaned down to kiss the shorter Briton, but Arthur gently placed his finger on Alfie's lips to stop him.

"Hey...what are you doing?" he laughed softly.

"Um...I don't..."

"Alfred-"  
"Did I do something wrong?" Alfie cried, panicked.

Arthur hushed him. "No, not at all! It's just...God, how do I say this? Um...well, this is America, right? And as far as I know, most people our age...they don't particularly like...gays. Like... well, like us. I don't think they will be the most accepting of this. I'm pretty confident that if we came out to the whole school, someone will...do something. And I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want people to turn away from you. You've done really well for yourself here, and I don't want that to be destroyed. So...it's probably best to be somewhat subtle in public places... for now, at least. I hate it as much as you but..."Arthur grimaced, showing his displeasure.

"Oh...yeah, that's probably a good idea..." Alfie muttered in a disappointed tone of voice.

Arthur smiled apologetically. "Are you sure that you're okay with that?"

"Yeah! I'm just that awesome, right!"

Arthur laughed. "You're an annoying git, that's what you are." He said, but with a teasing note in his voice.

"...but, you know, I'm going to have to demand a compromise."

"Oh? I'm listening."

Alfie leaned down and pressed a light kiss onto Arthur's cheek, his nose brushing his fair skin. Arthur smiled, squeezing Alfie's hand.

"So, what are you reading?"

"Black Beauty. You should try it, it's a classic. Unlike those perplexing comics you're so fond of."

"Hey! How is Superman anything _but _a classic, it's awesome..."

XXX

Okay, so I might not be the smartest of people, but even _I _could tell that something was up. People had been acting weirdly today. Like sometimes, when I walked past a group of people, they would go _really_ quiet all of a sudden. I caught a few people staring at me for no reason. And, a couple of times, when I went over to talk to someone, they would look awkward and make some lame-ass excuse before running off. It was freaking me out. Like the entire school was playing some prank on me.

I rolled my pen between my fingers and glanced over at Artie on the opposite side of the classroom. He was writing loads, as usual. It was English Lit, the last lesson of the day, and we were analysing Macbeth, so it was hardly surprising. Artie pretty much knew every Shakespeare play off by heart. English was his favourite subject, and he was amazing at it. I had read a few of his things (totally not in secret!) and they were seriously good enough to be published. But Macbeth was _way _too confusing for me, so I just watched the clock tick nearer to the end of the day.

I noticed that I had been randomly doodling a swirly pattern in the corner of my book. I hastily scribbled it out, hoping nobody would notice. At least it hadn't been hearts or something like that...

Seriously, this whole 'subtle' thing was killing me. I wasn't sure what it was that I had been expecting, but...it wasn't this. It wasn't not being able to be with him. But it probably was for the best. Some people here could be total idiots and no doubt that, if we were openly together, Artie would suffer as a result. And I would do anything to stop that from happening.

Even if it meant this.

"_Sooo _gay..."

I spun around to face the person who said that. She and her friend were giggling to themselves, smirking about some joke.

_Probably nothing, _I told myself.

But it got me thinking. To be honest, I hadn't even realised that this whole thing meant that I was gay. I hadn't ever really thought about it: Artie was just Artie. The whole 'Gay' thing had never even come up once in my head. Surely the world wasn't black and white, straight and gay. I had never even _considered_ me and another guy before Artie. It was just Artie. Maybe I was an exclusive gay or something...

Did that even exist?

XXX

"Damn, I can't understand Macbeth to save my life..." Alfred laughed.

"It is a rather..._heavy _play." I agreed.

"Hey, Artie, what's your favourite Shakespeare play?"

"I don't know. They're all bloody brilliant...um...Hamlet, I guess...or Midsummer's Night Dream, or Twelfth Night...I don't know. I-I just love them all. What about you?"

"Romeo and Juliet, probably."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "I would have thought you'd prefer a comedy over a tragedy."

"... I like the idea, you know. They were in love. People seem to forget that. I like the idea that they were together, even when everyone said that they couldn't be. And how they didn't let anything get in the way, even death. It...It just proves that love conquers hate, you know? I like that."

I was rather taken aback by that. That was quite deep for Alfred. Although he did tend to act like a bit of dunderhead, Alfred was, in some ways, quite... _wise. _He just didn't show it.

It was quite sweet really.

"I'll wait in the library until your football practise is over then?" I checked.

"Yeah, I'll come get you afterwards!"

"Have fun!" I smiled, fighting the urge to kiss Alfred. I bloody hated it, hiding how much I liked him. But I knew it was the right thing. Alfred, of all people, didn't deserve to be persecuted. He shouldn't suffer.

I sat in my usual chair in the library and flicked to my page in my book before starting the mental countdown to when I would be with Alfred again.

XXX

hummed a tune as I went down to the locker room. Being with Artie always put me in a good mood, even if we couldn't be together like a couple. The fact that we _were_ one was good enough.

I still wasn't quite used to the idea: I was with Artie. It was...amazing. I loved it. I loved everything about it.

Smile on my face, I walked down to the changing room and pushed the door open. The others were unnaturally quiet and some had smirks on their face. I smiled brightly at those nearest to me, slightly confused when they wouldn't meet my eyes. Shrugging, I went over to my gym locker to put my school bag away. And that was when I saw it.

Scrawled in block capitals, clear on my locker in dark, bold letters:

_**'Alfred Fag Jones. **_'

I blinked. My brain took a while to process what was in front of me. It was like my brain literally wasn't believing my eyes, but they were insisting that it was so. My mouth was very dry, but I managed to force some words out:

"Who the hell did that?" My voice was a lot calmer than I felt.

"Get lost faggot!"  
"Yeah, we don't want some gay-lord perving on us when we're changing!"

"Go fuck your _boyfriend_, dyke!"

I almost staggered back at the words. I didn't understand: these people, who only yesterday had been my friends, were glaring at me as though they hated me. As though I was carrying some form of deadly disease.

"If you don't get out now, cocksucker, we'll fucking make you!"

It took me a moment to realise that they were... _threatening _me.

"What the hell? What is your problem?" I shouted.

Suddenly, my arms were yanked behind me, pinned back. I twisted to try to get away, but it was painfully tight. I glanced, desperately, around the locker room. The rest of them were spread out in a sort of loop, caging me in. I was trapped.

"Don't say we didn't warn you..."

**AN: tried to make this chapter a bit longer to make up for the long pause in updating. Sorry for all of the swearing...**

**Prašome peržiūrėti? (review please in Lithuanian, why not? ;D)**


	12. Chapter 12

Alfie limped out of the locker room a few minutes later. His lip was cut and bleeding slightly and he winced faintly with every step. One of the lenses in his glasses was cracked, fragmenting his vision. He was half-considering going back and confronting them, but... well, what could he do? Alfie kicked the wall in frustration. Seething with rage,he strode down the corridor, hobbling a little, to find Arthur.

XXX

Arthur was still reading his book when Alfie found him.

"Hey!"

Arthur blinked with surprise at the sound of Alfie's voice and hastily shut his book.

"Alfred? I thought you were at practise?"  
Alfie shifted uncomfortably. "Um...yeah, it-it was cancelled..." he lied. _No use in upsetting Artie, _he thought.

Arthur laughed. "You're a really dreadful liar Alfred. Now tell me what really happened."

Alfie stayed silent.

"Alfred..."

Alfie remained silent. Arthur sighed.

"Alfred, remember how a while back, you made me promise to tell you if anything ever happened to me? Well, as far as I'm concerned, that promise goes both ways. Now, please, tell me what's wrong!"

Somewhat reluctantly, Alfie told Arthur exactly what had happened. When he had finished, Arthur exhaled slowly.

"Bloody fucking cunts-"  
"Artie!"  
"-ruddy bastards-"  
"Artie!"  
"-wankers-"  
"ARTIE!" Alfie cut off Arthur's vicious swearing rant. Arthur stopped, mid- curse, and cleared his throat.

"...Sorry. It's just...well, those guys are _dicks_!"

"Tell me 'bout it." Alfie answered glumly.

"Alfred... are you going to be okay?" Arthur asked, his concern edging its way into his voice.

"Yeah! I'm tough, I'll live!"

"I-I didn't mean like that. Those-those _things _they said, they sounded like they would have really hurt. More than any punch."

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm a hero!"

Arthur smiled sadly. "Not everyone's untouchable, you know. Not even a hero."

"...I-I just don't know how they knew."

Arthur shook his head, stumped. "Wankers..." he muttered. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Alfie clasped Arthur's hand. "Yeah. Sure I will."

XXX

"It's sad that you can't see the stars in the city..." I remarked, looking up at the smog-covered sky. Artie squeezed my hand.

"You like that stars and that sort of thing, don't you?"

"Yeah! It, like, blows my mind that that sort of stuff is out there, just waiting for us, you know? I'm totally gonna be an astronaut when I'm older!"

"An astronaut? I thought that you had to have 20/20 vision for that?"

"What?" I crossed my eyes to catch sight of the frames of my glasses. I definitely didn't have 20/20 vision. "Oh well. I'm so awesome, I'll get in anyway! I'm gonna be the first person to make contact with extra-terrestrial life!"

Artie raised a thick eyebrow sceptically. "Aliens? They don't exist."

"Yah-hun, they do!"

"...But, if they exist, why haven't they made contact?"

"Well, we've used this equation, right, the Drake equation, to estimate how many intelligent civilisations there are, and the most conservative figures come up with at least a few millions in our galaxy. Um... and we know that all life has to have some form of heat to survive, right? So there has to be a star in the immediate vicinity. There are thousands of millions of stars in our galaxy, and, on average, they're 200 light-years apart, so an alien civilisation would be seeing us at least 200 years away. They're seeing us before Queen Vic and WWI and all that stuff..." I rambled on for a while about the latest Mars Rover and how we'd communicate with extra-terrestrial life once we've found them.

Next to me, Artie smiled. "Why do you never talk about this stuff in science class? I'm sure Sir would be overjoyed that there is another person with whom he can have an intelligent conversation."

"Um... I don't know... I guess I just didn't want people to laugh at me. It's kinda stupid, isn't it? It's a childish dream, right?"

"No. On the contrary, I think it's admirable. You have the knowledge, and the determination. If you really want it, you'll get it, trust me."

"If you're behind me nagging, I'm sure I will."  
"Nagging? I do not _nag_! How do I nag? That's comple-"

XXX

"Arthur! Supper is ready!"

I groaned. For once, Mother and Father were home, and they had insisted, as always, a proper 'family dinner'. Which was torture. Mentally steeling myself for the onslaught of criticism that was sure to come, I slowly walked downstairs.

"Tuck your shirt in."

"Nice to see you too, Father." I hissed under my breath as I roughly tucked my shirt in.

"Sit down Arthur." I heard Mother say. I sat down in my usual seat, next to Peter, and prepared for another tedious dinner.

I somehow managed to get through the main course only having said a few words. I had long since learnt that that was generally the safest course of action with my family: head down and give them no ammunition. Just as Mother served pudding, however, Peter had to ruin it.

"Sooo, how's Alfred?" he giggled in a sing-song voice.

"Shut _up_ git!" I hissed, trying desperately to quieten Peter. But the damage was already done.

"Who's Alfred?" Father asked.

"No-nobody! Just a friend!" I answered quickly. If Father knew the truth about Alfred... God knows what he'd do.

"Just a friend? You shouldn't say that, not if he's your-"  
"Peter!" I practically yelled in an attempt to stop him from finishing his sentence.

"- boyfriend, he should be more than _just a friend_, right?"

A stifling silence fell. My heart was thumping in my chest. This was _not_ how I was meant to come out to my parents. This was not how they should have found out.

Finally, Mother spoke up. "Um...Peter, I think you must have misunderstood... well, _something. _See, this 'Alfred' can't be Arthurs'... _boyfriend_"

"Exactly. No son of mine is a homosexual." Father sniffed disdainfully.

"Besides, I suppose you have your eye on a girl, Arthur?" Mother hinted.

"No!"  
"Why not?"  
"Because I'm already in a relationship!" I blurted out.

"Oh? Well, what's she like?" Mother turned her undivided attention to me.

"Uh... I-I...er..." I stuttered, trying to think of some way out this hole I had dug myself in. I was cut off by the sound of Alistor throwing down his cutlery onto the table in apparent exasperation.

"Stop fooling around, you ninny! Just tell 'em the truth!"  
"I-I'm quite sure that I have no idea what you're talking about!"  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Alistor chastised.

"Just tell them Artie!" Peter piped up.

"Shut up! This is your entire damn fault Peter! If you had just kept your bloody trap shut, this wouldn't have happened!"  
Dylan sniggered quietly.

"Shut up Dylan!"

"Arthur. What is going on?" Mother asked sternly. I gritted my teeth and didn't answer. Opposite me, Alistor sighed.

"If you won't tell 'em, I will. Arthur's dating another lad, alright?"  
I could have sworn my heart stopped. It was completely silent, save for the ticking of a clock in the background. I bit down on my lip, hard, and clenched my fists as I waited for my parents reaction. Nobody said or did anything for a long while.

"You _are _joking, right?" Father finally uttered.

"N-No..." I whispered in a strangled voice. "It's true..."  
"Well, I think that he sounds like a really nice guy! Can I have more pie Mummy?" Peter asked, apparently assuming that the conversation was over.

"Oh! Uh...o-of course sweetie..." Mother said faintly.

"Want some Arthur?" Peter offered.

"No."

"Can everybody leave? I have to talk to Arthur. Alone." Father said stonily.

"But-"  
"OUT!"  
I sat, completely still, as everybody walked out.

"Good luck mate." Dylan whispered on his way out. Then the door creaked shut, and I was alone with my father.

"Tomorrow, you are going to break it off with this-this _boy_." Father ordered.

"WHAT? No! Father, I'm not going t-"  
"You obviously have no idea of the consequences of what you're doing. This boy is _obviously _lying to you!"  
"Father, you're being ridic-"  
"It's wrong! Wrong, Arthur, wrong!"  
"_WRONG? _You think it's _wrong _for me to be with the person I love? That it's _wrong_ for me to actually be happy for once in my life? It's not your _right _to tell me who I am and what I'm feeling, because the bottom line is that I love Alfred and there is nothing, _nothing_, that you can say or do to change that!" I inhaled deeply, calming myself down after my sudden outburst. "I'm not asking you to like it. I'm not even asking you to support it. Just... just to _accept _it. Accept _me_."

"How? How can I accept _this_? It's-It's just _disgusting_!"  
"...Then i have nothing more to say to you." I answered regretfully. I turned sharply and walked out, leaving my flabbergasted father behind.

Once I got to my bedroom, I shut my door behind me and sank to the ground. It was bad enough being singled out at school and tormented there, but how was I meant to cope if my own family thought that you were revolting and sickening? If anything could make me doubt myself, that was it.

I lost track of time. I just sat there, numb with shock. Suddenly, I heard the quiet creak of my door being pushed open. I opened my mouth to tell whoever it was to go away, but, before, I could, Peter had flung his arms around my neck in one of his tight hugs (the only person I knew who gave tighter hugs was Alfred).

"Peter! Get off me!" I yelped, somewhat muffled by the cloth of his shirt. Peter loosened his grip ever so slightly and buried his head in my shoulder. In the silence that followed, the sound of voices, dampened by the walls, could be heard.

"Is that Alistor?" I asked, incredulous. Peter shifted in my lap as we strained to hear. It was, indeed, Alistor. And he sounded angry.

"-you're never even around-"  
"Is why you're up here? Because they're arguing?" I asked Peter. I felt him nod. I pulled him in a bit closer: I might be a rubbish older brother, but I owed him this, to be honest. He might be a total moron at times, but he _was_ only seven years old.

"- feels like you're not even our parents-"  
"God, Alistor..." I muttered. "-What the hell are you doing?"  
"-I ain't ever seen Arthur this happy, so quit acting like such damn medival homophobs!"  
"What?!" I spluttered. Alistor was actually sticking up for me? Despite him... well, hating me?

_Maybe... just maybe, everything might be okay._

XXX

"Alfie?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Can you coemm down here for a sec?"  
Grumbling to myself slightly, I paused the game I was playing on my laptop and trooped downstairs to find my mom.

"What i- Hey, that's my cell!" I exclaimed when I saw Mom looking through my phone. "What are you doing?"  
"Sorry honey. I got curious." Mom looked up at me a smiled teasingly. "Now, who exactly is this?" She held out my cell to show a photo of me and Artie, pulling stupid faces. It was just another kinda goofy, everyday photo, but I kept it. Because Artie looked so happy in it.

"Um...t-that's Artie..." I told her.

"Ah... so _this _ the famous 'Artie' I keep hearing about..." Mom inspected the photo with new found interest. " He's kinda cute..." she remarked.

"Yeah. Yeah, he really is." I agreed. Mom looked up.

"You've gone bright red!" she laughed.

"Have not!" I protested. "B-but I do have something to talk to you about..." I mumbled. I might as well tell Mom about us now, right? I probably wouldn't get another opportunity like this for a while.

"You sound serious... Has McDonalds burnt down?" Mom joked.

"Aw, man, now I'm worried!"  
"Kidding, kidding! What is it that you wanted to tell me?"  
I sat down. " Ok... just-just don't, like, flip out or anything, 'kay?" I took a deep breath. " Me and Artie... we're kinda... y'know..._together_..."I trailed off, waiting for Mom's response.

"Oh...um...okay..." Mom blinked. "To be honest, I did think there was something going on... "  
"You did?" I frowned and tried to think of what I could have said to tip Mom off.

"Mm... for weeks now, it's been 'Artie this and Artie that'... and you always blush really badly when I say something like... I don't know, 'you must really like this guy'... And... well, you always look so happy whenever you talk about him. It was sorta obvious love."

I laughed out loud with relief. "Oh, good! I was worried that you were gonna hate me or something!"

"Why on earth would I hate you?"  
"I don't know, you always wanted grandkids and stuff..."I shrugged. "Sorry 'bout that." Mom looked me right in the eyes and said slowly:  
"Never apologise for who you are, ok?"  
I looked down guiltily and agreed quietly.

"Now, come on! I want to hear everything!"  
"Um.. everything?"

"Everything."  
"Uh...ok..."

XXX

**AN: I am so, so, **_**so **_**unbelievably sorry for the long wait! Please forgive me!  
Tried to do a longer chapter to make up for it...**

**Review if you want! **


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